The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is responsible for providing strategic financial leadership to ensure the airline’s long-term financial sustainability, profitability, liquidity, capital efficiency and shareholder value creation. The CFO serves as the principal financial adviser to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Board of Directors and Executive Committee, providing financial insight that supports strategic decision-making, disciplined capital allocation and sustainable growth.
The CFO directs the airline’s financial strategy, planning and analysis, treasury, capital markets, investor relations, taxation, procurement, enterprise risk management, financial reporting and internal controls. The role ensures that financial resources are managed prudently, assets are protected, statutory obligations are met and the airline maintains a robust balance sheet capable of supporting fleet expansion, infrastructure investment and commercial growth.
Working closely with the CEO and the Executive Committee, the CFO integrates financial discipline into every aspect of the business, balancing operational requirements with prudent financial management. The CFO leads initiatives to improve profitability, optimise unit costs, strengthen cash generation, manage financial risks and enhance organisational productivity while maintaining the highest standards of corporate governance, transparency and regulatory compliance.
The CFO also plays a critical role in fleet acquisition and financing, mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, funding negotiations, investment evaluation, sustainability reporting and long-term value creation.
Formulate the Financial Strategy
- Support the CEO and Board in major capital allocation, raising capital fleet financing, business case analysis, investment decisions and M&A opportunities and capital market reporting
- Support of the business profitability goals and corporate strategy throughout the Group
Financial Management and Reporting
- Maintain a deep understanding and leadership of the Group’s revenue and cost performance, capital structure, and competitive financial performance
- Validate and monitor departmental capital, forecasting, financial modelling and operating budgets throughout the Group
- Conduct ongoing analysis and optimisation of the capital structure requirements
- Ensure the accountability of each department within the Finance function in the running of the organisation
Treasury Funding and Reporting
- Ensure that SAA has an efficient and effective Treasury function
- Oversee commercial banking relationships, managing liquidity, working capital and management of foreign currency exposure
Corporate Cash Management
- Have an understanding of hedging instruments and their risk ratings
- Structure and negotiate debt financing and leasing transactions involving commercial aircraft including aircraft acquisition and sale–leaseback transactions
- Manage the overall organisation’s assets, investments and liabilities as well any other liquidity related decisions that may arise in conjunction with the business strategy
Procurement and Cost Management
- Lead strategic procurement and supplier management
- Drive enterprise-wide cost optimisation initiatives
- Improve procurement governance and value-for-money outcomes
- Negotiate major commercial agreements and supplier contracts
Compliance Risk and Governance
- Ensure continuously improved audit outcomes
- Translate the Financial Strategy for stakeholders (shareholder, parliament, employees, and lenders) to develop an understanding of the financial future of the organisation
- Ensure compliance to all policies, standards and regulations such as IFRS and PFMA
- Adherence to IATA BSP/ARC accounting, aviation tax, and aviation accounting standards
Finance Function Stabilisation and Transformation
- Lead focused intervention to address finance systems, reporting capability, data quality, business processes, internal controls, performance standards and people capability gaps
- Strengthen audit readiness, accounting oversight, governance discipline and compliance with applicable statutory, regulatory and corporate governance requirements
Turnaround and Governance Leadership
- Provide transformational leadership to stabilise the Finance portfolio, mitigate operational, accounting, compliance and financial risks, and support SAA’s financial sustainability objectives
- Engage effectively with the CEO, Board, shareholder, lenders, auditors, regulators and other key stakeholders on financial performance, risk, governance and reporting matters
People Management Finance Function Stabilisation and Transformation
- Plan and understand the future requirements in the Finance function especially related to changes in skills requirements
- Develop and lead high performing teams
- Ensure the integration and successful embedment of the culture themes into the current initiatives that will drive the culture evolution
- Lead and drive talent management, performance management, training and development of staff in Finance Division
Oversee the Supply Chain function through:
- Ensuring that the strategy developed will ensure the organisation achieves cost optimisation and regulatory compliance including adherence to PFMA prescripts
- Ensure the management of irregular expenditure and eliminating fruitless and wasteful expenditure
- Ensure efficient contract management of all service providers
- Partner with the Chief Commercial Officer on network, pricing, and revenue optimization decisions to ensure overall revenue performance of the company
Oversee the Corporate Real Estate and Services function through:
- Ensure that there are proper strategies and plans to manage the facilities
- All physical assets are optimised from a revenue and usage perspective
- Optimise space usage including extracting financial value from SAA properties
- Adherence to all legal requirements in terms of facilities management
- CA (SA) required, alternatively CIMA
- Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Finance or equivalent postgraduate qualification preferable
- Certified Treasury Professional (CTP) desirable
- Institute of Directors (IoD) Corporate Governance Certification desirable
- At least 12 - 15 years’ experience in a financial role of a large organisation of which at least 8 years’ is in progressively responsible financial leadership roles at an executive level
- Proven CFO-level experience of at least 10 years in a complex commercial, regulated or state-owned environment
- Demonstrated turnaround, functional transformation, systems improvement and business process optimisation experience
- Strong knowledge of PFMA requirements, financial governance, internal controls, audit management and regulatory compliance
- Aviation Sector or other related industry experience preferred including international experience
- Leadership proven ability to lead large finance teams (>100 staff), influence at board level, and manage investor relations
- Experience implementing ERP and airline financial systems (SAP, Oracle etc)
- Industry knowledge
- Financial acumen
- Expertise in finance, accounting, budgeting and cost control principles
- Experience in financial strategy formulation and execution
- Knowledge of digital technologies and trends in Finance
- Ability to diagnose root causes of finance function challenges and implement practical interventions that improve systems, controls, reporting quality and execution discipline
- Negotiation skills
- Strategic aviation, logistics, asset heavy industry knowledge
- In-depth African market knowledge
- Capital marker skills
- Data analytics and technical skills
- Leadership skills
- Cross industry and global business acumen
- Leadership
- Analytic and data led
- Communication skills (written and verbal in English)
- Presentation skills
- People development skills
- Service orientated (internal and external)
- Detail orientated
- Integrity
- Stakeholder Management
- Transparent
- Assertive/ decisive
- Strategic thinker
- Commercially astute
- Resilient and ethical
- Collaborative leader
- Change leader
- Results-driven transformational leader with the ability to reset culture, strengthen accountability and build a high-performing Finance team
- Technical proficiency
- Industry leader
PLEASE NOTE: The selected candidate must be available to commence duties at short notice.
SAA is using an online recruitment tool. Applicants are required to complete an individual registration profile capturing essential personal and career selection criteria. Applicants must please note that they only need to complete the online registration once and thereafter they can update their online profiles as and when necessary.
PLEASE NOTE: The onus are on applicants to ensure all mandatory fields are completed. Incomplete online profiles will be disqualified from the application process. Online profiles are used for screening and shortlisting purposes. A CV is only for verification and record keeping purposes. Applicants need to ensure that their online profiles are completed with correct and current information. Incomplete sections can disqualify applicants from the screening and selection process.
This applies to all internal and external applicants.
